First Lawyer in Space
by RinkRat
Summary: JAG SG1 SGA crossover. Takes place after The One Who Got Away and follows an AU after that. Harm ends up at Stargate Command as a team leader and finds out how small Earth really is.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - It's been awhile folks, but here's something new from me. It's a story that's been bouncing around my head for a couple years now and I've taken the time to put some of it down and expand on the original idea to include some new material. A JAG-Stargate SG1-Stargate Atlantis crossover.

Chapter 1

As the Cod taxied to a stop, Harm unstrapped himself. Standing, he moved to the door, not even  
looking at the other passengers. As soon as the crew chief had the door open, Harm jumped down to the tarmac and stalked off towards the gates looking for a taxi to get the hell out of Dodge.

"Harm!" Beth called as she followed her partner out of the transport aircraft. "Wait up!"

"Not now Beth," Harm answered without turning around.

"Damn it Harm, yes now. Are you sorry you rescued that family?" Beth asked. Catching up to Harm, she grabbed his shoulder to stop him from walking away.

"You know I'm not. I'd do it again in a heart beat if I had to."

"Are you sorry you were able to pull off a modern miracle and land a wide body transport on an aircraft carrier?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"Beth, you and I both know that I'm done. That camera crew caught me on tape; there are too many reporters who know too much about me out there. There's no way the CIA is going to be able to keep me around now. So, for the second time this year, I am about to find myself without a job."

"Is that such a bad thing partner?" Beth asked with a concerned look in her eye. "Admit it Harm, the Company isn't where you belong. You're too good to work for them, even in the Air Wing."

With a shrug Harm turned away from Beth, but did not move away. "Be that as it may, Beth, and you'll notice I'm not arguing with you, what am I going to do? Beth I'm pushing forty; I'm a little old for retraining. The law and flying are all I know. And I will not go to work for some law firm that doesn't care about the truth, or right and wrong."

"You'll find something Harm, I've got a feeling," Beth said with a smile as she nudged Harm to get him moving again.

For a week after Blaisdale had let him go that day on the golf course, Harm had puttered around the apartment taking care of things that had been neglected since he'd left for Paraguay. Deep down he knew he was just trying to keep busy, but if he thought about it, he had to admit that he did need to take care of a couple of things around the apartment, not to mention the 'vette needed an oil change.

He'd lost count of how many times over the week he'd found himself staring at the phone, thinking about her. Beth was right; when he'd be able to talk to her, he'd know it was over. And right now it still hurt too much, the wound was too raw. Each time he'd gaze at the phone and think of a certain marine, he'd shake his head and force himself back to the task at hand.

And right now that task was thinking about what he was going to do with his life. He'd spoken to a few friends from law school, put out a few feelers, but nothing out there really spoke to him, not the way JAG or flying had. No way was he going to resort to going through the want ads either. If worst came to worst, he supposed he could look at opening up some kind of flight school using Sarah.

With a sigh, Harm leaned back into his couch and covered his eyes with his hands. He honestly, for the first time since he was nine, had no idea what he was going to do. His mother was even talking about him moving back out west, but he wasn't sure that would be much better. Not that he didn't enjoy the West Coast, he just didn't think that would be the right move at this time.

What he really was trying to do was wear himself out. He wanted to be too tired to think, to worry. Too tired to remember Mac. Moving up to his bedroom, Harm decided he needed to go for a run. Ten hard miles might just be what the doctor ordered, he thought with a little smile. Five minutes later he was grabbing his keys off the coffee table and heading for the door in shorts and a t-shirt.

Exiting his building, Harm had already decided not to go to Rock Creek park on the off chance Mac might be there when he noticed a man leaning against the wall a short distance away. Something about the man niggled at Harm's memory. While he was pretty sure he didn't know the man, there was something about him that seemed familiar. Stepping up to his Lexus, Harm was just putting the key into the lock when it struck him; he'd seen the man on no less than three separate occasions in the last week. Four times was too often to be a coincidence, Harm thought with a grimace. Pulling the key from the lock he turned and leaned against the door to his SUV.

"Afternoon," he said pleasantly to the stranger as his eyes moved over the man, weighing and measuring everything about him. He was older than Harm, had salt and pepper greying hair, and was a fair bit shorter, but somewhere deep in Harm's mind alarm bells were ringing. The way the man held himself against the wall, the look in his eyes, the way he continually scanned the street every couple of heartbeats. This man was dangerous.

"Commander," the man said with a casual nod as he stood up straight.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Harm tried to match the casual tone in the man's voice.

"No, but I know you, or at least I know of you," the man smiled easily. "You're something of a legend Commander."

"It's not Commander anymore, I've left the Navy."

"So I heard," the man said with a shrug. "In fact, a mutual acquaintance tells me you're looking for work."

Suddenly the alarm bells were ringing loudly again. The dangerous air about the man, the three times Harm had seen him in the past week, the man coincidentally taking his ease against the wall near Harm's building, it had to be connected. "Webb," Harm muttered under his breath. "Look, I'm sorry, whatever Webb told you, I'm not interested. Who are you? NSA? FBI? No wait, that's a military hair cut. Naval Intelligence? NCIS?"

"None of the above," the man said with a chuckle as he stepped over to where Harm stood. Stretching out his hand the man reached back and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "General Jack O'Neill, Air Force. O'Neill with two l's. Apparently there's another one with one l, he hates it when people get us mixed up."

"O'Neill?"

"I prefer Jack, but yeah. Beth said you'd be suspicious."

"Beth?"

"We're cousins," the man said simply. "Listen, Commander, if it's alright with you I'd like to have a conversation with you, but the street outside your apartment isn't really the best place to have it."

"Yes sir," Harm answered automatically. "I was just about to go for a run."

Nodding, Jack smiled again in an attempt to put Harm at ease. "Knock off the sir crap, Commander, the name's Jack. I didn't ask to be a general. I was much happier when I was a Colonel. Mind if we talk in your car on the way to wherever you're running?"

"Uhh sure," Harm answered as he shook his head to try and clear away the confusion that was starting to creep in. Opening the door to his SUV he looked over at Jack before continuing "Listen si..uhh Jack, the name's Harm, I'm no longer a Commander."

"Sounds good, Harm," Jack slid into the SUV and looked around with a low whistle. "These things sure have come a long way. Nicer than my pickup. Now, as to you not being a Commander, well that's part of what I want to talk to you about. I've got your jacket, and I have to say I'm impressed. And I'm not talking about that thing they have in case some reporter wants a background on you; I've seen the whole thing, even got a copy of the CIA file on you. Did you really sneak into Vietnam when you were sixteen?"

"That was a long time ago," Harm answered wryly. "What's this all about Jack?"

"I would have though that you'd have figured it out by now, Harm, I'm here to offer you a job," Jack said with an impish grin. "Well, okay maybe not offer...yet. I'm here to talk to you about a job."

"What kind of job?" Harm asked with a wary glance at his passenger.

"The fun kind. Or at least I've always thought so. Hey, where are we going, anyway?"

"Hadn't really decided; I guess the Washington Athletic Field."

Nodding, Jack pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and dialled a quick number. "Danny? Washington Athletic Field."

"What's that all about?" Harm asked as Jack slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Just want you to meet a couple of friends is all. They'll be able to answer any questions you have. Way smarter than me, but not as much fun."

For the next couple of minutes Harm and Jack drove in silence, Harm waiting for Jack to begin, Jack just enjoying the ride.

Finally Harm shook his head and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the man next to him. "So, a fun job? Doing what?"

"Hush hush stuff. You know how it is being an ex spook and all," Jack's expression hardened slightly.

"Hey, I was never a spook. Just took em where they needed to be. Couldn't make it as a spook if I wanted to anyway, not morally ambiguous enough."

"Good. I hate spooks. Anyway before I tell you about the job I need to know if you're in or not."

"In or not? On a job I know nothing about? And how am I supposed to make that kind of decision?"

"It's for the military, you'll be reactivated with your O-5 rank, you will get to fly sometimes, your legal expertise could come in handy in some situations I can think of. You will also get a chance to exercise your more...unique...skills."

"Unique skills?"

"Doing a HALO jump without getting qualified, and living. Sneaking into Nam when you were only sixteen, and living. Convincing a squad of Force Recon you belong. Those sorts of special skills."

"Oh, you mean the stuff that got me fired from JAG."

"You weren't fired Harm, you quit," Jack stated matter of factly. "But that's not here nor there, and I know for a fact Chegwidden regrets tendering your paperwork."

"You do, do you?"

"Yeah. Spoke to the SEAL myself before coming out to meet you. Needed to get a feel for you and I figured who better to give that to me than your old CO. He hasn't changed much."

"You know AJ?"

"Met him twenty years ago; he was still with the Teams, and I was a snot nosed Air Force Lieutenant just getting his feet wet in spec ops. Anyway, enough of me. So, you interested in putting on a uniform again?"

Harm didn't really have to think that hard. Most of his life had been spent in the Navy, he didn't feel right without a uniform. "It sounds interesting. And yes, I'm interested in getting back into the service."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Sorry about the delay in this; my beta is weighed down with real life issues and I've been waiting patiently, but I thought I'd get something up to give you the next taste. Again, unbetaed by anyone but me so any mistakes are mine alone.

Disclaimer: Forgot to add this to Chap 1, but here it is. I don't own them, I don't own their worlds or their mythologies. I have my own characters and worlds and mythologies, but there's just something damn fun about playing with Harm, Mac, Jack, Sam, Danny and T.

**Chapter 2**

Harm eased the SUV into a parking spot at the Washington Athletic Field and killed the engine. Turning towards his passenger he raised a single eyebrow. "Alright Jack, don't you think it's time I learned something more about this job than 'it's fun' and 'it's in the military'?"

"All in good time Harm, all in good time," Jack answered with a chuckle. "Oh good, they're here already. Unlock the back doors."

Glancing outside Harm saw two people approaching the SUV; a slender, well built man with glasses and a blonde woman with her hair cut short. Both wore dark clothes and had the same dangerous look to them that Jack had. "You sure you're not spooks?" Harm asked as he unlocked the doors as ordered.

"General," the woman greeted Jack as the man and woman sat down on the back seats of the vehicle. "The immediate area is clear and…Murray is in the van keeping an eye on things."

"Good job Carter. Hey there Danny."

"Jack," the man in the back seat nodded in response and then looked at Harm. "So this is him?"

"Commander Rabb, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter and Doctor Daniel Jackson. Guys, Harmon Rabb," Jack did the introductions with a wave of his hand. "You'll meet...Murray later."

Harm didn't miss the fact that both of the newcomers were carrying concealed sidearms, nor did he miss the way Jack's eyes had started scanning the immediate area again. "Nice to meet you Colonel, Doctor. So am I going to get some answers now?"

"He's cleared sir?" Sam asked seriously.

"Yes, I'm clearing him and he's already been reactivated so I can order him to zip it if I have to," Jack said smugly. "Harm, what you're about to hear is classified. It is so classified that you can't even think about it if I say not to."

"What do you mean I'm reactivated?" Harm asked in shock.

"I took the liberty of cutting some orders for you; after reading your file I had a feeling you wouldn't say no. Now then, have you heard of Cheyenne Mountain?"

"Sure, big cold war bunker converted into some kind of Air Force special deep space programme? Space radar and all that jazz?"

"Mostly right Commander, deep space radar telemetry," Sam took over from Jack. "But that's just what the world at large knows."

"If you are waiting for me to be surprised the military is keeping secrets from the people, you're going to be waiting a long time. I've been in on more than one investigation."

"Ever heard of the Stargate project?" Jack asked suddenly serious.

"Can't say as I have."

"Danny?"

"Commander, I guess I should start at the beginning. In the forties an archaeological expedition to Egypt uncovered something beyond everything they've ever dreamed..."

"Danny, no history lesson, you can tell him that later. Just tell him what he needs to know about the Gate today."

"Daniel, let me," Sam said with a smile. "Commander, what you need to know is this; for a number of years the Air Force has had the ability to send special exploratory teams to alien worlds."

"Let me guess, you have secret space ships?" Harm asked with knitted brows. "I'm sorry, but maybe you should be talking to Bud; he's into all the sci-fi stuff, not me."

"I assure you Commander that this is not some sci-fi story. And no, we don't use a ship, although we now have a number of them in our arsenal. We use a device that we call the Stargate to travel to these distant worlds. Basically what it does it create a localized wormhole with the event horizon tipped onto its edge. As material passes through the event horizon it is de-molecularized and then reconstituted at the far side where another wormhole event horizon is anchored by another Stargate. It's really quite amazing actually..."

"Techno-babble, Carter," Jack warned.

"Right, sorry sir."

"Riiiight," Harm said skeptically. "Distant planets, wormholes, space ships. Gotcha. Who put you up to this? Keeter? Tuna?"

"I can understand your disbelief Harm," Jack said with a chuckle. "If I hadn't been living it for most of the last decade, I wouldn't believe it either. It is, however, very real. And very deadly. You wouldn't believe how much paperwork I have every month because we need a replacement because some Gould killed one of my men. They're so inconsiderate of my time really."

"And this is on the level?"

"Completely. We're mostly an Air Force operation, however we've had Marines serving on the base for years now, and most recently we've started adding SEALs to the mix. That's where you come in Commander. I'm forming a new SEAL/Marine team and I need a good man to take command of it."

"And you couldn't find a marine or SEAL officer?"

"I need a man who can get things done, and stay alive while doing it. You've proven you've got the ability Commander, and you bring your people out which is always a nice bonus. Add to that that you will not leave a man or woman behind, no matter the personal cost; I like that in an officer Harm. I respect your service record, and I think I'm going to respect the man."

"Couldn't you just order me to join up sir?"

"You know it doesn't work like that Commander. We're technically a Special Ops outfit; one hundred percent volunteer. We approach likely candidates, but we don't order them to join up. The choice is yours and yours alone. Here," Jack held out his hand with an airline envelope in it. "That's a ticket to Colorado Springs leaving tomorrow morning. Take tonight, think it through and then come out for a little show and tell. If you decide not to come, this conversation never took place, your commission goes back to reserve status and you are never to think about this again. Understood?"

Taking the envelope gingerly Harm could feel the wheels turning in his head. He could serve again, it wouldn't be at JAG or on a carrier, but he could serve again.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you that as classified material you are not allowed to discuss this with anyone," Jack added as he opened the SUV door. Getting out he turned back to face Harm. "Harm, you don't know it, but the planet's at war and has been for a long time. We need good people, and you have what it takes. Just because it sounds all techno-babble and sci-fi-ish don't discount it."

Nodding silently Harm watched the three people leave his vehicle and move off towards a dark van where a very large black man got out of the van and nodded at the grey haired general. Maybe he wouldn't have to look for work after all.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: A couple housecleaning things. First thing: Where I Belong; I know there are a number of people who were following this and are dissapointed that I left it where I did. The good news is I've been working on this story again and will hopefully finish it. The main problem I've been having is that this story is an emotion driven story; not just the characters but mine as well; what I was feeling at the time was a large part of the idea for the story. I'm trying to recapture that to remain true to the story; I hope you won't be displeased.

AN 2: The O-5/O-6 mixup. Thanks to those who pointed this out; as soon as I posted Chapter 1 I smacked myself upside the head and fixed it. Chapter 1 has been reposted with Jack properly referring to Harm's rank as O-5, not O-6. Don't worry though, I've got plans that will see Harm get up to O-6.

**Chapter 3**

Harm glanced around the arrivals terminal at the Colorado Springs airport wondering exactly who he should be looking for. Jack had left a note inside the ticket envelope saying if he showed up that he would be met at the terminal by someone from the base. It stood to reason that he should look for a sergeant or corporal; someone who usually got stuck chauffeuring people around. What he didn't expect was to see Sam Carter waiting patiently just inside the terminal out of uniform.

"Commander," Sam greeted Harm with a smile as he strode over to where she waited.

"Colonel," Harm smiled slightly in return. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, the name's Harm."

"Sam," Sam's smiled brightened a little at Harm's desire for a more relaxed environment. Jack was right; this guy would probably fit right in at the SGC. She'd taken a look at the file Jack had gotten from the Pentagon on the Navy Commander; impressive didn't even start to cover it. Going from being a Navy Pilot to a JAG lawyer and then doing it all over again might seem idiotic to some, but the fact that this guy had not only done it, but his career thrived while he did it proved that he had guts.

"Wasn't expecting an O-5 to be my driver," Harm said as he picked up his single bag. "Have to say, I'm impressed." Harm couldn't help but notice Sam's smile and how attractive she was. Too bad his heart belonged to...no, that was in the past. He wouldn't go there again if he could.

"Well, General O'Neill thought it would be best if either Daniel or I picked you up, that way we could answer any initial questions you might have. Besides, I was _volunteered_. Apparently I've been spending too much time in the lab again."

"Lab?" Harm asked with some confusion.

"I'm the head of R&D at the base; I'm an astrophysicist by training. Daniel's the head of our Archaeology and Linguistics department."

"R&D? Archaeology and Linguistics? Just what kind of deep space radar telemetry do you do there?"

"Well we do have a deep space radar setup, but that's not all we do. Honestly Harm, you're going to be blown away. There's a lot more out there than you've ever dreamed of," Sam said as they arrived at the dark sedan parked outside the terminal. Tossing his bag into the back seat Harm just nodded and got into the passenger side seat.

"Okay, a little history on the way out to the Mountain. As Danny stated, there was an archaeological expedition in the forties that uncovered something amazing; a giant stone ring that had been overlain by cover stones. No one was able to decipher the cover stones completely, and no one had any idea what the ring was for; or so we thought. It turns out that the American government obtained the ring and began to conduct experiments with it, trying to find out what it does. They managed to activate the ring by accident and sent a man through, but when it shut down he was trapped on the other side. We managed to find him and bring him back a few years ago when Danny found tapes of the original experiment and found out that they'd left a man stranded."

As Sam paused for a breath Harm closed his eyes and tried to absorb what she was saying.

When Harm didn't comment on her explanation she continued "Anyway, after that they shut down the project, said the man was lost in a tragic explosion and forgot about the stone ring. Until Daniel came on the scene with his theories that the Egyptian culture was a lot older than anyone had previously though; he even had a theory that the pyramids were actually landing pads for space ships. He was laughed out of academia."

"Landing pads for ships? I'm not surprised he was laughed out."

"He was right."

"What?" Harm asked in shock. He looked at Sam to see if he could see if she was playing a joke at his expense, but her expression was dead serious.

"He was right; they were landing pads. For giant ships we call Motherships. They were used by a race called the Go'auld. The General started calling them Gould as a sign of his contempt and it caught on; most of us at the base simply call them Gould. They're a race of parasitic beings that take another being host and use the body as a sort of transportation device."

"Transportation device?"

"To the Gould we're nothing more than a glorified vehicle. And they live for a very long time, hundreds and thousands of years. Most of them took the mantle of gods from different Earth cultures; to them Earth was nothing more than a breeding ground for hosts and slave labour. Over the years they abducted thousands of humans from Earth and transplanted them to other worlds. It's really amazing how many cultures there are out there that first originated on Earth."

"Hold on a second Sam. I'm going to need a minute to digest this," Harm held up his hand to pause Sam's narrative.

"That's alright; we're almost there. The General wants to see you in the briefing room right away anyway. Danny and I will be there to answer any questions you may have. You'll also meet Teal'c, the third member of my team."

"Air Force?"

"Not…exactly. Teal'c was the First Prime to a Gould named Apophis. He rebelled against the slavery of the Jaffa by the Goulds."

"And who are the Jaffa? Another alien race?"

"Exactly. Teal'c's people are a warrior race very much like humans, however they have a larval Gould implanted in their stomachs at the age of majority. This larval Gould provides the Jaffa with enhanced strength, stamina, a superior immune system and even some small regenerative properties. Kind of a deal with the devil sort of thing; if we're walking vehicles, the Jaffa are walking incubator tanks as the General has called them."

Taking a deep breath Harm glanced out the window at the rapidly approaching mountain. What had he gotten himself into?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I know some people have expressed a desire to not have this a Harm/Sam fic, and some have expressed a desire to see that paring. Personally I was tempted to have Harm fall for some alien princess, but my trusted beta informed me in a very superior tone that she was quite positive that I would be lynched were that to happen. To be honest, I'm still on the fence about Harm's upcoming relationship (he will have one) and his happiness (he will have it); I am at heart a HM shipper, but I'm not adverse to exploring other directions with Harm's heart. Bringing Mac in has some logisitical problems for what I have planned one year down the road from where Harm is now, but they are not insurmountable. You guys will be the first ones to know when I decide what direction to take; but I will say this...Mac makes an apperance in the very near future.

A/N 2: Thanks for all the very positive reviews, I'm really glad you're enjoying my mad scribblings.

**Chapter 4**

Harm glanced around the briefing room at Sam, Daniel and Teal'c letting the images of what he'd seen in the last two days float around his mind. Part of him wanted to believe that he was trapped in a late night pizza induced dream of Bud's, but there was just too much evidence to the contrary. Mankind had gone a lot further out to the stars than anyone had dreamed. There were allies and treaties the world at large knew nothing about, and as Jack had said three days ago, there was a bloody war being fought that claimed the lives of American servicemen and women on what seemed a weekly basis. Harm had a feeling that he'd only been shown the tip of the iceberg.

"Alright people, let's get this started," Jack said as he strode out of his office into the briefing room. "What's the verdict Commander? Have you taken a liking to living under the mountain?"

"It's pretty amazing General; part of me is still waiting to find out that it's all a hoax, and part of me just can't figure out how amazed to be," Harm answered with a chuckle.

"The Commander has made a couple recommendations regarding our treaties with the Jaffa nation and the Asgard that I think would be well received by both groups," Daniel commented without looking up from the notebook before him.

"You don't say. Settling in pretty fast aren't we Commander?" Jack asked with a barely suppressed smirk.

Shrugging Harm tried not to smile back. "They're just a couple suggestions that jumped out at me when Daniel was giving his lecture on the allies the Stargate programme had developed."

"Gee, colour me shocked," Jack said with a wink. "So I can sign you up for the deluxe package?"

Harm took a moment to think his decision through one more time before answering. He was pretty sure that this would be his last crack at the service, and if what little he'd seen since coming to Cheyenne Mountain was any indication, it was going to be a hell of a ride. "I suppose you could always use a good lawyer on staff."

"Lawyers I've got, Commander; for you I have much more interesting plans in mind."

"Well sir, consider me signed up," Harm said with a smile.

"Good!" Jack jumped back to his feet rubbing his hands together gleefully. "I'd like to toss you through the Gate right now, but I'm told you're going to need to go through a bit of training before we turn you loose on the unsuspecting Goulds out there. In a couple of days you're going to meet the men and women who make up your team but I want you to work with an existing team for a few days first, so you can see how things happen around here. I also want to get you up to speed on all of the weapons you will have available to you…"

"Excuse me, sir?" Sam reined in Jack's run away thoughts.

"Carter?"

"The F-302 sir?"

"Right! I was saving that until later, but might as well put it on the table. Commander, we have a special treat for a man like you. You were stupid enough to be strapping on Tomcats in the past, right?"

"Yes sir. I've also been checked out on the Hornet as well as a number of other aircraft."

"Ah yes, the toys they let you play with in Spookyville. Well, we've got something that will blow your hair back and knock your socks off at the same time."

"I assume you're referring to this F-302 that Sam mentioned?"

"You bet your butt I am. I'll let Carter give you all the details, but let me say that you will not find a sweeter ride out there. I want you checked out on it within the next six months or so as time becomes available. Sorry Commander, but you're going to be one busy little beaver now that you've joined our merry band here. Oh yeah, how do you feel about blue jell-o?"

"Busy is…good, sir," Harm said, trying to mask the pang he felt as he once more thought of Sarah. It wasn't the first time he'd thought about her since he came out to the Mountain, but she was right. There was no future for them; neither one of them could break the dance they were doing. She was better off without him, of that he was convinced. And moving to Colorado Springs would give him a chance to try and build a life for himself that didn't involve Mac. "Blue jell-o?"

"Right. Now, I would prefer you to get right into the training Commander, I want to get you and your Team operational as soon as possible," Jack's mind was running into overdrive thinking of all the possibilities. Hell, the _Icarus_ was scheduled to be into shakedowns in the next year or so and he could think of a dozen ways Harm would be useful onboard.

"Sounds good to me, sir."

"What about your apartment back in DC?"

"I could probably have it packed up in a day or two."

"Jack?" Daniel finally looked up from the notebook he'd been scribbling madly in.

"Danny?"

"I've got that meeting in Washington next week. Why don't I take a couple SFs and we can pack up the Commander's apartment and ship it out here."

"Danny, sometimes I think you really are a genius! How's that work for you Commander?"

"Works for me. Most of my stuff can go into storage in DC, Daniel, and I'll give you a list of what can be sent out here."

"Take four SFs and make sure you keep the place secured. And Danny?"

"Yes Jack?"

"Take Teal'c. He's been getting restless and could use a field trip."

"As you say O'Neill," Teal'c finally broke the silence he'd been regarding the meeting with.

"Good, it's settled then. Let's get you introduced to SG-15 Commander; they'll be showing you the ropes."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Mac muttered under her breath as she climbed the stairs. The damned elevator was out of commission again. Probably stuck between floors like it was the last time she was here. At that particular thought Mac stopped on the stairs and let her eyes widen a little. Had it really been a month since she'd last come by Harm's apartment in an attempt to talk to him? Of course she'd never actually made it into the building as she thought better of it and had left without getting out of her car. It wasn't like she was afraid to talk to Harm, it was just that she thought it might be best to do it in neutral territory. She'd been calling him for three weeks now and had not gotten an answer. Today when she'd called from the office she'd gotten a pre-recorded voice informing her that the number she was trying to reach was no longer in service which prompted her to come right over as soon as she'd secured for the day. Shaking her head she continued up the stairs until she reached the top floor. What she encountered as she exited the stairwell was not what she had expected to see.

Two burly men in charcoal BDUs were flanking Harm's door while two more were moving boxes from Harm's apartment to the elevator. As the door to the stairwell closed behind her one of the apparent sentries moved away from the door in her direction holding up a hand.

"I'm sorry ma'am, this floor is temporarily off limits to unauthorized personnel."

"What the hell is going on here?" Mac felt her confusion begin to give way to irritation. Who the hell was this man to tell her she couldn't go to Harm's apartment. "Who are you?"

Taking a moment to look over Mac's rank insignia, the man came to attention after a quick glance over his shoulder. "Ma'am, I'm sorry but I am not at liberty to say. All I can tell you is that this area is off limits and I would hate to be forced to escort you from the building."

"This is an apartment building…" Mac paused to glance at the dark insignia stitched to the man's BDUs, noticing that other than his rank, all other badges and insignia had been removed. "Sergeant, not a military base. There is no cause for security unless…oh my god! Harm!"

The sergeant firmly held Mac's shoulders as she tried to push past him. He'd seen pictures of the woman in the Commander's apartment when he'd pulled his turn at packing up and guessed that there was some sort of relationship here. "Ma'am, the Commander is fine, but he's not here at the moment."

"I demand to be told what's going on here!" Mac thundered after taking a moment to compose herself. She was embarrassed that she's panicked at the thought that something had happened to Harm, but she'd be damned if she'd let some unknown sergeant see that.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance," a carefully modulated voice came from behind the sergeant. Looking over his shoulder Mac saw another man dressed in charcoal BDUs without any markings other than the name "Jackson" stitched across the breast. The tousled hair and round glasses that had slipped down his nose gave the man a boyish look.

"Doctor Jackson, sir," the sergeant said with relief evident in his voice. "The Colonel wishes an explanation about the security regarding the Commander's apartment."

"That's alright Frank. Would you tell Murray that I'm going downstairs with the Colonel and I'll be back to do the final check shortly?"

"Yes, sir," the sergeant said coming to attention again. With an apologetic glance at Mac, he moved into the apartment.

"Colonel…MacKenzie?" Daniel said after glancing at Mac's name tag.

"That's right. And you are?" Mac asked frostily after scanning Daniel's BDUs for rank insignia and failing to find any.

"Daniel Jackson, please call me Daniel," Daniel said with a smile.

"Mr. Jackson," Mac replied, deciding to keep the tone of their conversation professional. Without moving towards the stairs she continued "So what's going on here?"

"Please, Colonel, the SFs are just following Jack's orders to keep Harm's apartment secure while we pack it up. They aren't here to antagonize you or anyone else."

"Jack?"

"General Jack O'Neill. Harm's new commanding officer."

"Harm's new…I think we better start at the beginning."

"There's not much more I can say Colonel. It's not that I think you don't deserve to know more, but I have to follow some orders too. Suffice it to say that Jack convinced Harm to reactivate his commission and to come work with us."

"And that would be doing?"

"Can't say."

"Can't or won't?"

Chuckling, Daniel shook his head before answering, "I suppose I deserved that. Trust me, all the secrecy and deniability and all the other crap that goes with it drives me nuts too."

"So Harm's back in the Navy? Serving under a _general?_ Army, Marine or Air Force?"

For a moment Daniel paused then decided it couldn't hurt anything. He'd also seen all of the pictures Harm had in his apartment with this Colonel in them. "Air Force," he finally said with a shrug.

"Harm's working for a Zoomie? I would pay to see that. But that still doesn't explain the security, Doctor Jackson."

Shrugging, Daniel opened his mouth to reply when Mac saw a very large black man wearing BDUs and a boonie hat step out of Harm's apartment. "Daniel Jackson, our task here is nearly completed. Have you contacted the storage facility that Harmon Rabb told us about?"

"Yes Tea…Murray, I gave them a call about a half hour ago; they're expecting us."

Nodding silently the large man turned and went back into Harm's apartment before Mac could react. She watched the three SFs exit the apartment with three boxes, and the large man close behind them. Stiffly, he turned and locked the door. "The task is completed Daniel Jackson."

"Good to hear, Murray. Why don't you and the boys head downstairs and I'll catch up in a moment?"

Nodding, the large man followed the SFs into the elevator and closed the gate. Well that would explain why the elevator wouldn't work for Mac.

"So I'm not going to find out what's really going on here?" Mac asked. Inwardly she was beginning to seethe. Harm had rejoined the Navy and didn't tell her? And he wasn't going to be at JAG? Sure they'd had their differences over the last year, but why wouldn't he tell her he'd made such a big decision. Maybe the Admiral could find out where he was stationed now. And if not, there couldn't be that many General Jack O'Neills out there.

"Again, Colonel, I apologize," Daniel seemed genuinely sorry he couldn't say anything more to her. Looking thoughtful for a moment he apparently came to a decision and put a hand gently on her shoulder. "Look, Colonel, I'm not trying to step over any boundaries here, but I'm going to be honest. I saw all of the pictures of you and Harm; and I saw how happy you both looked in them. Obviously there is, or was, something between you two…"

"Not like that," Mac protested.

"Nevertheless, would you like me to pass on a message to Harm?" Daniel offered.

For a moment Mac was tempted to take him up on the offer; she was tempted to have him carry her heart to Harm. And then she realized how trite and juvenile that would be. They weren't in junior high school where she could have a friend whisper to a boy that she liked him. "Just…tell him good luck. I hope he finds what he's looking for."

With that Mac shrugged slightly in Daniel's direction and moved back towards the stairs with a slight slump in her shoulders. She wouldn't let anyone see how much this hurt her; she wouldn't let anyone see that it gutted her to know that she really had lost Harm. That he'd proven no better than any of the other men in her life; he'd left her.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Alright, this isn't going to happen often, but it IS Monday, as we all know everyone needs the odd pick-me-up on Monday, so you all get a second chapter today. And as everyone knows Drama should be followed by ACTION. Yes, that's right, for those of you wondering when the action would start, perk right up. Or was it drama should be followed by gallows humour? I can never remeber...**  
**

**Chapter 6**

Once again Harm glanced around the briefing room table; this time instead of seeing SG-1 he looked over the members of his newly formed team SG-13. Jack had explained that the original SG-13 team had been taken out by a Gould assault three months before and he'd been leery of giving a new team the designation; Harm's team would be the third team to carry the "unlucky" number.

To Harm's immediate right was his second in command, a SEAL lieutenant by the name of Charlie Jacobs. Over the weeks they'd been training together, Harm had gotten a good feel for the young lieutenant; he was intelligent, quick thinking, and had a very dry sense of humour, not to mention he was a sneaky bastard. Across the table from the two officers sat Gunnery Sergeant Linda Black, a Force Recon trained Marine. As he'd long ago learned with Mac, just because a Marine was an attractive woman didn't mean she couldn't rip off your head and stomp on the remains. She'd proven early on in the training that she was just as tough as the male members of the newly formed SG-13. The fourth and final member of Harm's team sat to Linda's right. Harm still wasn't sure what to make of Corporal Marcus Patterson. Harm knew he was tough; Patterson also came from Force Recon and had the scars to prove it, but the young man was also a university graduate who'd refused a commission and elected to go the enlisted route. It was the university degree that had brought Patterson to the SGC's attention more than his record as a Recon Marine. Marc Patterson had just completed his master's degree in Archaeology, writing a thesis that had reportedly impressed the hell out of Daniel.

Jack strode into the briefing room, bringing Harm's thoughts on his new team to a halt. "So Commander, ready to take the kids out for your first field trip?"

"Beyond ready, General," Harm smiled at his new commanding officer. He still caught himself shaking his head at the differences between Chegwidden and O'Neill.

"Good to hear; and I think we have just the thing for you today." Jack slid a top-secret folder across the table towards Harm. "P8X-47C. We haven't been to this one yet, but it has been on our list for some time. We sent a MALP through the gate yesterday and everything came back looking good. Danny got all drooly at some run down buildings around the Gate, said something about them looking like…Messy Potty. Anyway, your team is up, so you get the honours, and you wouldn't believe how pouty Danny got at that. Simple recon mission Commander. Take your team through, scout out the immediate area, find out if there are any locals. You've got twenty-four hours and then you're back home. Sound good?"

"Aye, aye sir," Harm answered back with a big smile. He couldn't wait to step through the Gate on his own; so far all his off world missions had been with other teams as part of his training. This time it would be just him and SG-13.

"SG-13, you are a go. Gear up and head to the Gate room." Jack winked at Harm and then stood up from the table.

Twenty minutes later Harm and SG-13 stood in the Gate room listening to Walter run through the litany of which chevron was engaged. As Walter's voice came over the speaker saying, "locked," Harm's body tensed up momentarily in expectation of the large backwash created by the forming wormhole within the ring of the Stargate. He was pretty sure as long as he lived he would never see anything that amazing. Looking up at the window to the control room he saw Jack asking Walter questions for a moment before O'Neill keyed the mic in front of him. "Commander, everything looks good on the MALP we left on site. Good hunting."

Nodding, Harm gestured for Gunny Black to take the lead and watched the rest of his team move up the ramp towards the Stargate with their P-90 assault weapons at the ready. Word was the area at the other end was unoccupied, but Harm had worked to train his team to always approach every embarkation as if it was into hostile territory. He hadn't had to work too hard considering the background of his team, but he remembered all too vividly his second trip through the Gate with SG-15. They'd run into a small party of Jaffa looking to dial out at the Gate. SG-15 lost a man that day, and it was something Harm would never forget. As soon as Black entered the wormhole Harm moved quickly up the ramp to follow his team, his own P-90 extended and already moving in a small arc side to side.

With minor muscle tensing, Harm stepped through the event horizon and instantly found himself shivering on a stone platform amidst shattered buildings. The sun was high overhead and God was it bright. Pulling up his sunglasses Harm gave the bone deep chill that accompanied Gate travel a moment to fade and then got his team underway. "Black, Jacobs, secure the area. Patterson, send the MALP back through and then see if you can figure out what the hell 'Messy Potty' is."

"I can already tell you that sir; the style of what remains of these buildings definitely looks Mesopotamian. I can understand why Doctor Jackson would be very interested in checking this place out," Patterson said as he moved to grab the remote control box attached to the recon drone that had been sent through the Gate to take video and atmospheric samples ahead of a SG team.

As Patterson took care of the MALP, Harm scanned the area to make sure his Corporal would be unbothered in his task, pausing only to glance back as the outgoing wormhole formed when Patterson redialled Earth. Aside from the sun shining more brightly, it sure looked like Earth. Lush green grass carpeted the clearing surrounding the Gate, and there was a distant tree line of what looked like fir trees. Hell, Harm heard birds singing in the distance. Well that was a good sign; if the birds were singing there wasn't anyone moving about in the forest in any great numbers.

"Skipper?" Harm heard Jacobs say over the radio.

"Go ahead."

"Immediate area looks clear. Guns found what looks to be a fairly well used game trail leading to the clearing the Gate is situated in. Could lead to a village of some sort. Want us to check it out?"

"Negative, fall back to the clearing. We'll give Patterson some time with the broken rocks before we head out to find the locals."

"Aye, aye Skip, we'll be back in five."

As the Gate shut down Harm looked over his shoulder at Patterson and then gestured towards the surrounding ruins. He'd seen firsthand with SG-15 what happens when you deny an archaeologist the opportunity to examine anything of cultural significance. Soon enough Patterson had found what appeared to be a section of a stone wall with writing on it and was hard at work with a little tiny soft haired paint brush wiping away dirt and dust.

True to his prediction, Jacobs and Black were back at the Gate in five minutes. Harm allowed them to relax a little while Patterson worked. If he was honest with himself, it was actually quite fascinating to watch an archaeologist work. Daniel had told him that the trick to archaeology was to be willing to be bored for days on end for five minutes of excitement. Following Patterson's movements Harm had to wonder what it was like on the 1927 dig that found the Gate, contrary to Sam's error during her rundown of Gate history. Apparently even Sam found Daniel's lectures too dry to completely digest from time to time.

Four hours later Harm decided that it was almost time to tear Patterson away from the ruins and called Black over to where he had relaxed on the steps leading up to the Gate. When the petite Gunnery Sergeant got close enough, Harm smiled up at her. "So Guns, think you'd like to take a walk?"

"Could always use it to work off that oh so filling meal of MREs I just finished, Skipper."

"Take a look at that trail, see where it goes. Stay on channel 2 and radio in every half hour. We'll follow up in 30, but I want you out of sight if you do come across any locals. Hear that Patterson? You've got 30 to pack your gear up and be ready to go."

With a nod Black moved back to where her backpack sat and hauled it up, pausing while Jacobs helped her clip it to her tactical vest. She'd learned one thing she liked about her new CO early. He wasn't too much of a stickler for formalities in the field, provided the job got done properly. She hadn't been too keen on having some too tall pilot as her CO at first, but by the second day of their training together he'd proven to her and the rest of the team that he wasn't your ordinary pilot. Hell, he'd managed to take out General O'Neill twice in one day's training exercise. And if scuttlebutt was right, it was rare for the General to go down; he'd spent too much time in the field to let many people get the drop on him.

As his Gunnery Sergeant disappeared into the tree line, Jacobs moved over by Harm and sat down next to him. "So what's the plan Skipper?"

"We'll take to the trail in 30, follow Black, and hopefully find a nice friendly village that's willing to put us up for the night."

"Sounds good to me," Jacobs said with a smile. Leaning back on the steps, he lowered his boonie hat to shade his eyes. Even though he looked completely relaxed to anyone else, Harm could see that Charlie was ready to go if anything dropped. Chuckling, Harm stood up and checked to make sure his P-90 was ready to go. Hopefully they'd find a village before nightfall.

"Skipper," Patterson came rushing over with a confused look on his face.

"What's up Patterson?"

"I'm not too sure what to make of it, Skip. The ruins, they are Mesopotamian, and so are most of the writings on the walls. From what I can decipher they are a retelling of the stories of the goddess Tiamat. You know, dragon goddess of the Mesopotamians…"

"Right, dragon goddess. What else?" Harm prompted.

"Well the writing changes suddenly."

"Changes how?"

"It's no longer Mesopotamian. I mean there are obviously still Mesopotamian features, but the syntax and structure change suddenly."

Harm was beginning to understand why Jack seemed to have little tolerance for Daniel and his long lectures. "Changed _how_?"

Sensing his CO's shift in mood Patterson blushed slightly. "Sorry, Skip. The writing seems to become, well, I don't know how, but it shifts to a more Celtic form of writing. And the stories change too; boss, I think there was some sort of Gould civil war here. First the stories are talking about Tiamat, and at the end they were retelling the stories of Cernunous."

"Who?"

"Celtic horned god of the hunt. If I had to guess, not a very pleasant individual."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Just a warning, the language gets a bit harsher in a couple places here. Consider yourself warned if you are worried about this; it's not prolific, and it's not over the top, but it is there.

A/N2: There was a very true comment in one of the reviews about how women in Special Forces units are strictly a device of fiction. While this is true, and at the current time women do not serve in SF units, I figured if I'm writing about a gigantic ring made of a super dense metal not found on Earth that sends people to other planets via a controlled wormhole, well putting women in SF units is a minor case of literary license compared to that. And yes, I am aware that SG1 strives to maintain a impressively high degree of accuracy regarding military matters, but then again, it is my story. I would include JAG, and in some ways they also strove to maintain a high degree of accuracy regarding military matters, however the very premise of the show is a plot device (allbeit a wonderful one) with JAG lawyers chasing terrorists, dodging nuclear missles and battling evil doers at every corner.

Speaking of battling evil doers...on with the show!

**Chapter 7**

Harm scanned the remains of the village through his binoculars, noticing the bodies lined up in what had been the village square. "Any movement since you got here Guns?"

"No, sir," Black said quietly. She may be a Recon Marine, but seeing that many people dead from what was obviously an execution got to even her.

"There's some charring along the buildings and in the dirt Skipper. Blast weapons?" Jacobs asked quietly as he scanned the village beside Harm.

"Looks like it," Harm grunted, remembering the skirmish SG-15 had had. "Whatever happened here was recently done."

"Looks to be; nothing is feeding on the corpses yet."

"Patterson, get closer and get video," Harm ordered quietly. He wasn't going to admit it to anyone, but he and his team were still green when it came to off world ops, and they may miss something. He wanted to have video for someone back at the Mountain to look at when they got back.

Silently the three team members watched Patterson worm his way forward through the trees until he was right at the edge of the forest. Taking a small digital video camera out of his vest, he started filming. After ten minutes the Corporal glanced over his shoulder at Harm with a raised eyebrow. Nodding, Harm gestured for him to return to the rest of the team; they should have enough for someone to figure out what happened if his guess of Jaffa wiping out the village was wrong.

Patterson was halfway back to the rest of the team's location when Harm recognized a sound he'd first heard two weeks before; the sharp snap crack of a staff weapon. Suddenly there were multiple blasts striking the ground around Patterson and before anyone could react the deep bellow of a horn could be heard on the far side of the village.

"Covering fire!" Harm ordered the rest of his team as they were already snapping off the safeties of their P-90s and searching for targets. Levelling his own weapon Harm slipped the selector to full automatic and squeezed off a burst of rounds towards the next staff blast he saw. The sound of bullets striking metal told him he'd hit home. Glancing towards Patterson he saw the Marine rolling away from another staff blast. "Move it Marine! Jacobs, Black, let's give him time to get out of there!"

Suddenly a new sound echoed over the ruined buildings of the village and before Harm could process it, an aircraft cleared the village and laid down blaster fire on Patterson's position. Jack had called them death gliders. Cursing Harm shot up to his knee looking down at Patterson; he wasn't moving. "Shit!" Harm cursed. "Cover me!"

"Skipper!" Jacobs yelled as Harm got up and sprinted towards where Patterson lay. Harm kept moving and didn't look over his shoulder; his team would lay down fire or he would die. But he wasn't going to leave Patterson out there where the Jaffa could pick him off. "Black! Two o'clock!"

"Got him," Linda said tensely, drawing a bead on two Jaffa who had just moved out from the trees to their right. A fluid squeeze of the trigger brought both armoured warriors down.

Harm reached Patterson and dropped to the ground beside him, reaching for the man's neck before he was completely level. Closing his eyes Harm fought the urge to scream when he couldn't find a pulse. Looking up he saw the death glider make a wide banking turn and line up for another strafing run. The staff blasts peppering the ground around him, Harm jumped to his feet and reached down for the man he'd led to his death. With a heave, Harm had Patterson over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and was just about to straighten up when something glinting on the ground caught his eye. Patterson's digital camera, amazingly, had survived when its owner did not. Scooping up the camera Harm jerked fully upright and began to lumber back to his team's position.

Cursing with each step back towards the rest of his team, Harm screamed aloud when a fire erupted along the ribs on his left side. Gritting his teeth and pushing back the pain, Harm moved past Jacobs and Black and snapped out, "Fall back."

As SG-13 began to move back down the game trail they heard another blast of the horn, this time to their right and towards the Gate. Immediately another horn sounded on their left and ahead of them.

"We're surrounded!" Black called out as she moved backwards, firing at any Jaffa that revealed their position to her.

"Stow it Guns!" Jacobs called out as he watched the left side of their retreat. "Skipper! Nine o'clock!"

"I see them," Harm fought down the despair he felt at seeing a large group of Jaffa emerge on their left about five hundred meters ahead their position. Before he could formulate his next order staff blasts cut through the trees and struck all around the Jaffa that they had just seen.

"What the hell?" Jacobs watched the Jaffa fall back and begin to return fire into the trees. "Tok'ra?"

"Don't know, don't care. Get off the trail now!" Harm ordered, leading his team into the trees on an angle away from the body of Jaffa he'd seen, and the group he couldn't see. For the next hour Jacobs and Harm spelled off carrying Patterson's body; the Lieutenant trying to carry the body more often than his CO; Harm couldn't see the staff blast he took, but it hurt like nothing he'd ever felt before and his Lieutenant knew Harm's strength was failing fast.

Suddenly the team was through the forest and could see the Gate in the distance. "Black, dial it up when we get there; Jacobs, take Patterson."

Cautiously, but quickly the team moved towards the Gate, Harm and Black continually scanned for any signs of movement. For the last twenty minutes the sounds of the battle between the Jaffa and their unseen assailants had steadily faded into the distance. Harm wasn't sure, but he was starting to think they'd managed to avoid something nasty. Avoid? Screw that, he'd lost a man his first time out through the Gate, Harm thought viciously. So much for getting his people home alive.

As soon as she was close enough, Linda raced ahead to the DHD and began to slap her hand down on the symbols back to Earth. When the vortex settled and the wormhole stabilized, she pulled out her GDO and began to punch in SG-13's code. Having turned to look back at her CO and XO, she was the first to see a large contingent of Jaffa bound out of the forest with staff weapons levelled. "Incoming!"

Turning, Harm pulled down on the trigger and emptied his magazine at the Jaffa moving towards his team. Without thinking he slapped a new magazine home and proceeded to squeeze off rounds at Jaffa after Jaffa, all the while moving steadily backwards, vaguely aware that Black was also throwing down beside him. "Jacobs! Get Patterson through the Gate, we're right behind you!"

"But Skip," Jacobs started to argue.

"No 'buts' SEAL! Get him home!" Harm snapped out the order. As soon as he heard Jacobs pass through the event horizon he tapped Linda on the shoulder. "You next Guns! Don't argue, go!"

Taking a knee behind a chunk of stone wall at the bottom of the steps leading up to the Gate, Harm dropped another Jaffa. The rest had slowed their approach and began to take cover behind the ruins slowing their rate of fire considerably. With a quick glance over his shoulder Harm saw Black pass through the Gate. His Team was home; down one, but at least he'd get a proper burial. Still firing at the Jaffa position, Harm allowed his mind to remember the last year. This, on top of his getting Patterson killed, caused the little voice in the back of his mind to tell him that perhaps it would be best if he died here valiantly defending his Team while they fell back through the Gate. Savagely he quieted the voice after only a moment's thought. What would it solve if he were to die on this unnamed planet, light years from home, defending a Team that was already through the Gate?

Spraying down another stream of bullets, Harm waited until the Jaffa took cover, then turned and dashed up the steps, and dove through the Gate. He acutely felt the grating of the ramp leading up to the Earth Gate as he landed on his left side causing a sudden wave of pain to shoot out from his staff blast wound. As the blackness closed in around him, he heard the disembodied voice of General O'Neill order, "That's all of them! Shut it down!" just before he completely lost consciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Without opening his eyes Harm knew he was in a medical facility of some sort; the beeping of the heart monitor was a dead give away. Fighting the weariness that demanded he drift back to sleep, Harm forced his eyes open, focusing on the stark grey walls of the SGC's infirmary.

"Good, you're awake," an exasperated sounding voice said from beside Harm's bed. With effort Harm managed to turn his head to find a harried looking doctor standing next to him. What was his name again? Marx? Maxwell, Doctor Maxwell. With a barely perceptible dip of his head, Harm acknowledged that he'd heard the doctor.

"It's about time," Maxwell went on. Without warning, the doctor rolled Harm further onto his side, pulled back the hospital gown he was wearing, and started probing the wound along Harm's ribs. Before Harm could express his displeasure he heard someone else doing it for him.

"Hey!" Jack shouted from the doorway leading out to the hallway. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"General," Maxwell said coldly. "Do you mind? I'm examining my patient."

"That's not examining, that's torture," Jack snapped out, stalking closer to the doctor. "Show some respect for your patient _doctor_, or I _will_ cut orders for you to go examine penguins in Antarctica."

Allowing Harm to roll back to the position he was in when he awakened, the doctor threw up his hands and stalked out of the room in a huff muttering, "I gave up a fellowship at Johns Hopkins for _this?_"

"Sorry bout that Harm," Jack said as he dragged a stool over to the side of Harm's bed. "Don't tell Danny this, but I've never missed old Doc Frasier and her big needles more than I have since this joker showed up. I asked for a doctor and they gave me a butcher."

Weakly Harm tried to smile, but he had a feeling it didn't get very far. Try as he might, he couldn't force his mind to remember why he was in the base infirmary.

Seeing how groggy Harm was, Jack beckoned a nearby nurse over. "Harrison, why's the Commander so out of it?"

Taking up the chart hanging at the foot of Harm's bed the nurse took a quick look over the scribbles there. "Doctor Maxwell has him on a continuous IV drip, a sedative. Probably for the pain the Commander's surely in."

The words pierced through the fog blanketing Harm's mind and he tried to shake his head. Seeing the motion Jack lifted an eyebrow. "You don't want the sedative Harm? Can't say as I blame you, I hate the damn things myself. Harrison, would you mind dialling back the sedative the Commander is getting?"

"I don't know General, Doctor Maxwell…"

"Rigggght. Well, if he says anything you run, I'll hide," Jack said with a wink at the petite blonde nurse. "You let me handle Maxwell."

"Yes, sir," she said with a blush, turning off the connection. "It will take a little while for what's in his system to work its way out, but he should be feeling clearer in about a half an hour or so."

Nodding, Jack turned his attention back to Harm. "I have to get back for a briefing Harm, I'll see you later."

Harm closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to overtake him again **as** Jack left the room.

The next time Harm opened his eyes he could feel the pain in his side right away; with a grunt he attempted to take more weight off of his left side in an effort to relieve the pain somewhat. Adjusting his position, he remembered how the wound in his side happened. The moment he remembered being struck by the staff blast, he remembered carrying Patterson's body from where the corporal had fallen. From where Harm had sent the young man to die.

Turning his head into his pillow Harm's mind began to replay the mission in vivid detail. Over and over he saw the glider hit Patterson with a giant blast.

When the mission was beginning to play again in the theatre of his mind he heard the scrape of a stool being pulled across the floor. Opening his eyes he spotted Jack sitting next to him with a concerned look on his face.

"Hey," Jack said when he saw Harm's eyes open.

"Hey," Harm grated out from a raw throat. "Ice?"

"Right here," Jack handed Harm a cup full of broken ice chips. "How you feeling?"

"Like I should be the dead one."

"I know what you mean," Jack got a far away look in his eyes. After a moment he focused on Harm again. "We need to talk about your wound. I thought it would be better coming from me instead of that butcher Maxwell."

"How bad?" Harm asked, guessing by the look in Jack's eyes that it wasn't good news.

"You're going to be out of it for a while, The staff blast tore through the vest, your BDUs, and fried away a good chunk of your skin. I guess you could say it was like being the guest of honour at a barbeque...ribs well done," Jack shrugged lamely trying to lighten the mood. "We do have options though."

"Options?"

"Yeah. The Tok'ra have offered to stick a snake in your head; it would heal your wounds in no time and get you back on your feet. Not my personal favourite, and trust me I've been there."

"Next?"

"Good choice," Jack agreed. "Next, when Carter and SG-1 get back we can have Carter take a crack at you with that Gould hand thingy. She probably wouldn't be able to heal you right up to new, but she would be able to get you out of that bed."

"Hand thingy?" Harm asked confused.

"It's a…thingy the Gould have that you hold in your hand. You can use it to heal people. Hand thingy."

"What's the downside?" Harm asked, shifting position again to ease the steadily growing pain in his side.

Glancing around to make sure they were alone, Jack leaned in closer whispering, "Carter's not very good with it."

"Ah."

"Like I said, she'll be able to fix you up somewhat, but it won't be a full bodyshop restoration. It would, however, get you out from under Doctor Mengala."

"When's she back?"

"They're scheduled to be back later today, tomorrow at the outside. Danny was all ga-ga over this culture they found. He wanted to take part in some ritual they were planning. Probably involved something really boring if it got Danny excited."

Nodding wearily, Harm gave into the pain that had been growing since he woke up. "Carter."

"Good choice," Jack repeated while Harm drifted off to sleep again.

When Harm next started to open his eyes he was vaguely aware of someone sitting on a stool to his right. The soft rustle of pages turning sounded like the reading of a book instead of the flipping of file pages. Opening his eyes the rest of the way he turned his head a little and saw Charlie Jacobs sitting next to him. When Harm turned his head Charlie closed the novel he was reading and gave his CO a little smile.

"Good to see you awake, sir."

"How long?" Harm asked hoarsely.

"Almost twelve hours," Charlie answered after only a moment's pause. "How are you feeling, sir?"

"Like I've been cooked over an open fire," Harm said with a weak smile. "How's Black?"

"She's fine, a couple scrapes and some bruises for both of us, but we're both fine," Charlie answered after another pause.

"Jacobs?" Harm pushed.

"Sir?"

"What else?"

"I'm sorry about Patterson, sir," Charlie said softly. "We both are."

"You both are?"

"We've been talking about it, and…" Charlie bit his lower lip and looked closely at Harm.

"And?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

Waving his hand slightly, Harm gestured his XO to continue.

"There was nothing you could do, you know that right?"

"Jacobs, he was my responsibility. You all are, and I let him die. Just like Mace," Harm sighed wearily. Since he'd been taken off the sedatives, all he could think about was how Patterson died. Was there something he could have done different? Could he have somehow saved the corporal?

Seeing the pensive look on his CO's face, Charlie fought down his natural curiosity and instead stood up and patted Harm on the shoulder. There was someone else waiting to see the Commander that might be able to get him to see reason, at least she'd assured him she could. "You get better, sir. I heard Colonel Carter is going to be coming by this afternoon to give you another round with the hand device. By your leave, Commander?"

Nodding slightly, Harm dismissed his XO but his mind was already turning over Jacobs' words. Carter was coming by for 'another round with the hand device'? He didn't remember the first round, but now that he thought about it there was less pain in his side.

Harm hadn't been thinking long when he felt someone watching him and looked up to see Linda standing in the doorway looking at him. Lifting an arm he waved her in and gave her a tight little smile. "Black. Are you two tag-teaming me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Skipper," Linda said with an innocent look on her face. Sitting down in the chair so recently vacated by Charlie, she looked her CO over. "You're looking better, sir. I guess those hand devices really do work.

Shrugging slightly Harm didn't know how to answer that. Physically he was feeling better, but he was still weighed down by Marc's death.

"Can I talk to you about something, sir?" Linda asked hesitantly. She had gotten a bit of a feel for her new CO, but she wasn't too comfortable discussing things with him just yet.

"What's on your mind, Guns?" Harm said after a second's pause. He wasn't overly used to Non-coms coming to him with their problems, but SG teams were tighter and smaller than most commands, so he figured he'd just have to 'get' used to it.

"Well, sir, it's our mission. It got me thinking about what happened just before I got tapped to report here."

"What happened?"

"You don't know, sir?" Linda asked shocked. She'd assumed it would be in her service jacket, and that her new CO would have read about it.

"If I knew what happened Black, do you think I would have asked?"

"I suppose not, sir," Linda said, starting to relax a little with her CO. "It happened in Afghanistan. We were up north running search and destroy ops on the Taliban still hiding out in the caves; it wasn't pretty sir."

When Linda shuddered Harm wasn't sure what to say. "Go on."

"We were in the field for six weeks. Hell, we weren't really sure where base camp was anymore it had been so long. The captain just kept getting new coordinates for suspected enemy locations with the order to go in and sanitize the sites. It was hot, dirty, bloody work, sir. One night I was on point; being smaller than the guys came in handy in those caves and tunnels, easier to get around if you know what I mean. Anyway, like we'd always done, when a tunnel branched I kept to the right, Cap didn't want us getting cut off from each other in those things. It was a nightmare to begin with, losing contact with the team would have made it a lot worse. Anyway, I'd been working my way through these tunnels for what seemed like hours and I tell you, sir, I hadn't seen anything to let us know that the bad guys were home. No garbage, no tracks, nothing. We were on radio silence so I couldn't get the Cap's opinion. I wasn't sure what to do, so I decided to wait for the rest of the guys to catch up and see what the Cap had to say."

Harm waited while Linda took a pause in her narrative to draw in a long shuddering breath before continuing.

"I'd taken up a position and was there for… God, sir, they tell me it was only two minutes, two minutes and then I heard the weapons fire. I started working my way back down the tunnels as fast as I could. I had to get back to the guys. I had to have missed something, some tracks, something to show that the bad guys were there, just down another tunnel. By the time I got there, sir," Linda stopped and got a look that reminded Harm hauntingly of something. This Marine was pushing down some powerful emotions, the same as he'd seen Mac do countless times. "They were dead. All of em, dead. The Rangers that picked me up said it looked like the bad guys came in behind us. It was an ambush, and all the guys died because of it, sir."

"There was nothing you could have done, Guns; you didn't know the Taliban were waiting for your unit to go into the cave. Most likely if you'd been with them, you would have died too."

"That's what the Colonel told me when the Rangers got me back to camp."

"He was right you know."

"Maybe, but respectfully, sir? If I wasn't at fault for my team getting wiped out, how can you blame yourself for Patterson?"

"What?" Harm asked taken aback.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I heard what you said to the XO earlier. I wasn't trying to listen in, but you were a little loud," Linda said standing up and came to parade rest. "With all due respect, sir, you couldn't have done anything for Marc. If you'd been there in his place you'd be the one we'd be burying next week, and I don't think that would have solved anything. Hell, sir, you're the only reason we got out of there. Without you we'd all most likely have been chewed up."

"Damn it, Guns, it's my job to keep you all alive, " Harm snapped, giving in to the sudden flash of anger he felt at Linda's defense of his actions."You're all capable professionals. You would have gotten yourselves out."

"Maybe, maybe not. Point is you got us out, and you brought Marc home, sir. You brought him home."

A clearing of a throat brought Harm's attention to the doctor who was standing behind Linda. "I need to check your wounds Commander, so if you wouldn't mind telling the pretty little Marine to be on her way?"

Scowling, Harm bit his tongue to keep himself from chewing out the doctor in front of Linda, but almost laughed out loud at the look that passed over his Gunnery Sergeant's face. There'd be time for that later when he was out of the reach of those damned needles. "Thanks, Guns, you've given me something to think about."

Coming to attention Linda saluted Harm and said, "Keeping officers from beating themselves up too much is what God created Gunnery Sergeants for, sir."

"I thought God made Gunnery Sergeants to kill the enemy," Harm said with a little smirk when he returned Linda's salute.

"That's our day job, sir," Linda said and then executed a perfect about face and left the infirmary without allowing herself to glare at the doctor. She'd seen the look on her CO's face, and she wouldn't want to be that doctor when the Skipper was up and about.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Harm stretched his left hand over his head slowly. He could feel where the skin over his ribs was still tight and tender, but his ribs weren't showing anymore. Aside from the tenderness and a little discomfort, he was feeling better than he had in a week. Jack had been right that Sam wouldn't be able to fully heal him, but he was amazed all the same what she'd done with the Gould "hand thingy."

Laying back on his bed Harm closed his eyes and remembered Patterson's death. His team continued to tell him it wasn't his fault; General O'Neill had told him it wasn't his fault; Daniel, Teal'c, Sam; they had all told him it wasn't his fault. But he knew it was. He'd written the letter to Patterson's parents that afternoon and sent it to Jack for a final approval before it was dispatched. They couldn't have any particulars about the mission getting out to the public.

Watching Patterson die in his mind's eye for the umpteenth time, he was interrupted by a sharp knock on his door. Slowly getting up he opened the door to find Jack standing on the other side, holding a piece of paper in his hand.

"Is this a joke? You are no longer allowed to make jokes if it is." Jack said pushing past Harm into the quarters.

"I'm guessing it's the letter to Patterson's family, sir." Harm closed the door and turned to face his obviously ticked off CO.

"I can't send this, Harm," Jack said, dropping the letter onto Harm's bed.

"Why not, sir? I didn't reveal anything classified in the letter. I said that their son died in the line of duty."

"You said it was your fault!"

"It was my fault!" Harm snapped back. "I sent him in to get video because I didn't trust my judgement. I told him to run back to our position. I put him in the way of that glider so that he could die! I killed him!"

"Did you pull the trigger? Did you want him to die? Did you plan on him dying?"

"No, but I was responsible all the same." Harm sank onto his bed wearily. "I killed him Jack. I killed him and I think that shows I don't have what it takes to lead off world teams."

Turning around one of the chairs at Harm's small table, Jack sat down with his arms crossed over the back of the chair and ignored Harm's slip up. "I decide who is fit to lead teams, Harm. Not you, not Carter, not even that cute little grey Thor. Me."

"Still…"

"Still nothing. You were a lawyer, Harm, think it through," Jack prompted, trying to get the stubborn leader of SG-13 to see the light. "Was there intent?"

"No, sir."

"Did you know that the glider was going to make a strafing run?"

"No, sir."

"Can you see the future?"

"See the? No Jack, you know I can not see the future," Harm said a little sharper than he meant to, once again slipping and using his CO's first name.

"Then how is Patterson's death your fault? Harm, I know it sucks to lose people; I've done it more times than anyone should have to. Damn it Harm, I've lost Daniel…three times now? No, there was that one time we_ thought_ he'd died, but didn't really. He was just taking a swim, so I guess it's four times, maybe three and a half. I know what you're feeling, but it's not your fault. You brought him home Harm, that's all you could do. It's more than most have managed to do."

Narrowing his eyes, Harm stared at Jack as if he'd suddenly grown two heads. "You're a lot smarter than you want people to believe, aren't you, Jack?"

"Don't tell anyone," Jack instructed with a little bit of a smile. "I have a reputation to keep up."

Despite his morose mood, Harm chuckled at that. He'd learned within his first week on base that his CO used humour and sarcasm as skilfully as a pilot dropped chaff and flares. He'd also guessed that there was a shrewder mind behind the penetrating gaze of Jack O'Neill than he let on.

Getting up, Jack slapped a hand on Harm's right shoulder. "Get up, get your jacket."

"Where are we going, sir?"

"Out."

"Out?"

"Out out. Come on, no arguments."

Reaching into his locker Harm grabbed his worn old flight jacket and pulled it on. "Aye, aye, sir."

"And cut the 'sir' crap for the rest of the night, unless you want me to call you Commander all night."

"I guess that depends on where we're going," Harm shrugged as he followed Jack to the elevator and waited while O'Neill used his keycard to open the doors.

"Beers," Jack said, returning to the one word answers.

"Beers?"

"Beers, an alcoholic beverage best served at just about freezing cold. You my friend need a drink, and we need to lift one to Corporal Patterson."

"I don't know…"

"Are you still on medication?" Jack asked, remembering Harm's recent stay in the infirmary. If he was, maybe beers wouldn't be such a good idea at the moment.

"No. Doctor Mengala gave me some pain pills, but I hate taking those things."

"Good. Commander, I am ordering you to come out and have a beer with me in honour of your fallen team member," Jack said smugly, knowing that Harm wouldn't argue an order. Maybe he could order Carter to go fishing with him...

Sighing, Harm gave in and leaned against the wall of the elevator while they rode up to the surface.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: In response to some of the feedback. 1) Sam makes a brief apperance in this chapter, but what happens here ties into something bigger that happens later. 2) Well I was way ahead of where I was with chapters written, but now I'm catching up FAST. Good thing the weekend is soon to be here and I don't much in the way of big plans so I can write write write.3) With more descriptive feedback it gives me something to hold the story up to. Some of the coming plot developments are definately going to be influenced by some of the more detailed feedback I've gotten recently, and some of the plot developments have been tweaked in a minor manner because of the same feedback. And for the record, I like getting detailed feedback, but if all anyone has to say is "good job, keep it up" then that's great too. I don't like one over the other; what I can't stand is negative feedback with no constructive criticism. Saying something needs work, without giving examples of how you think it needs work is pointless. Okay, enough of the soap box, on with the show...

**Chapter 10**

"We'll take two more," Jack signalled the waitress wandering around their section of the bar.

Harm glanced at the two fingers of amber liquid that remained in his glass and decided to toss back the dregs quickly to get it over with. No matter what beer he was drinking, the last bit of any glass always tasted like crap.

"Where were we?" Jack asked after the waitress deposited two more glasses of beer on their table and took away the empties. He'd been trying to get Harm to forget the idea that Patterson's death was his fault by talking about missions that went wrong, missions where people died simply because their number was up. "That's right, the ones that sucked; worst missions. I told you about Bosnia and Germany, now you tell me. What were your worst missions?"

Harm didn't have to think that long; he knew exactly what the two worst missions he'd ever had were. It was a little interesting playing 'What's your worst mission' with a person who knew what it meant to work on black ops when you both didn't have to worry about security clearances. "Laos and Paraguay. Although, come to think of it, China runs a close third."

Pausing to take a pull from his beer, Jack looked at Harm closely. "You seem a bit young to have been in Southeast Asia."

"I was sixteen," Harm replied after taking a big gulp of his own beer. He'd had four before this, and he was pretty sure that's why he thought talking about Laos and Paraguay might not hurt as much. "I heard about a Marine who was running missions into Laos and Vietnam to find POWs; thought I would hook up with him and find my dad. Lost a lot in Laos that summer."

"What about Paraguay?" Jack asked. "Drug dealers?"

"Yes and no," Harm muttered. When Jack opened his mouth Harm held up his hand. "Yes, he was a drug dealer, but the mission was to take out a load of Stingers he'd gotten his hands on. Wasn't even my mission."

"Are you collecting other people's missions for fun?"

"No," Harm sighed. "She went down there. I had a bad feeling about it after she did. Tried to get the…AJ to let me go down to find her, he said no."

"What'd you do?" Jack prompted, signalling for a fresh round.

"Went anyway, that's how I left the Navy. Found her, rescued her, saved her partner and got kicked in the teeth," Harm finished bitterly. "You want to talk about leaving parts of ourselves on our battlefields? How about love? I left love down in that stinking jungle. Went to tell her I loved her and got kicked in the teeth."

"That's the part about the job that sucks," Jack agreed. He knew exactly what it was like to lose the one you loved, probably better than Harm even. Losing a child was the worst loss, at least in Jack's experience it was.

"No, no, no," Harm waved his hand in the air to stop Jack. "Wasn't the job. It was timing!"

"Timing?"

"Timing! We always sucked at timing. I was here," Harm gestured broadly with one hand, and then gestured in an opposite direction with the other. "Mac was here!"

"Mac? Should I be worried about you Harm?" Jack asked with a hint of a smirk. He didn't have anything against those who chose to live an... alternative lifestyle, but the Commander had never struck him as the type. But then again, don't ask, don't tell.

"Huh?" Harm asked confused and then it dawned on him. "Oh, no. No, Mac…Sarah's nickname is Mac…Sarah MacKenzie. Mac, MacKenzie."

With a snort, Jack lifted a single eyebrow, followed by his almost empty glass. "Sarah? Well here's to Sarahs then, because I lost one too."

"You had a Sarah?" Harm asked with barely a hint of a slur.

"Had. Ex-wife now," Jack said with a brittle edge to his voice.

"To Sarahs then!" Harm proclaimed and clinked his glass up against Jack's.

Just as Harm and Jack made their toast the doors to the bar opened and a familiar blond head was followed by two more familiar figures. "Ahhh! The prodigal children return!" Jack called out when he saw the trio.

Sam gave a little wave when she spotted Jack and Harm at their table and stopped to look a little closer at the two of them. When she saw them order another round she put a hand on Daniel's arm to stop him from heading over there right away. "Daniel, I know you were thinking that talking to Harm about that Colonel you saw in DC would cheer him up, but I'm not so sure that's a good idea right now."

"Why not Sam?" Daniel asked absently.

"Let's just say the General and the Commander are happy enough as it is."

Looking over to where Jack and Harm were sitting Daniel realized what Sam was getting at. Sarah MacKenzie hadn't looked too happy when she'd given him her message, and to be honest he hadn't been able to get it to Harm until now. The two of them always seemed to be missing each other. Either Harm was training or on his mission, or Daniel was on a mission, or locked up with some fascinating artefact. "You might be right, Sam."

"Of course I am," Sam tossed over her shoulder with a cheeky smile as she walked over to where Jack and Harm were sitting.

"Sam!" Harm called out when he saw her standing next to their table.

"Carter!" Jack called out at the same time as Harm.

"Harm, sir. Looks like you two are having a bit of a party without us."

"He," Jack started, pointing at Harm. "Is being stubborn. Had to show him it wasn't his fault Patterson didn't make it back."

"And you showed him in the bottom of a beer glass, sir?" Sam asked with a devious little smile.

"No, that came later," Harm answered for Jack. "Daniel! Teal'c!"

"Hey, Harm, how you feeling?" Daniel asked, sitting down next to Sam.

Inclining his head slightly, Teal'c took the seat next to Harm. "Harmon Rabb. It is good to see you well."

"Thanks guys, I can't believe how much better I'm feeling, thanks to the lovely Colonel Carter."

Blushing, Sam looked away from Harm with the pretence of finding the waitress. "It was nothing, Harm."

Jack held his glass up to his lips but apparently had forgotten to take a drink as his eyes flickered between Harm and Sam. There was something in the air since Harm had thanked her; Carter's blush, her not wanting to look him in the eye when she responded; could it be? "Nahhhh," he muttered as he opened his mouth to swallow the rest of his beer. Sure, if someone put a gun to his head and forced him to admit it, he'd agree that Harm wasn't a bad looking guy; the smile, the height, it all had to attract women. And Carter, well there was absolutely no denying Carter was a looker, plus brainy, but in a good way. But there couldn't be anything going on there, Jack was sure he'd know.

Jack stuck around for another hour and then looked around at his companions. "Well kids, it's time for grandpa to head on home. Some of us have to be on the base at oh-five hundred."

"Why don't I give you a ride sir, I think you've had a few more than me," Sam offered with a knowing smile. She knew the General wouldn't drive drunk, but she could save him the cab fare.

"Teal'c and I should be going too," Daniel said as he finished his beer. "I have a briefing with SG-6 tomorrow. Oh that reminds me, Harm, I want to talk to you about those ruins you found. Come by my office tomorrow?"

"Sure," Harm shrugged. Until the Doc cleared him, SG-13 was on stand down so he supposed he didn't have a whole lot to do. "What time?"

"Anytime after ten will be good. Hey," Daniel added as he watched Jack and Sam head toward the exit with a couple waves in their direction. "Need a ride?"

Harm chewed his bottom lip for a moment, looking at his latest glass of beer. He knew he'd had more than he would normally allow himself, but Jack was right. He had needed this; and while he wouldn't be having many more, he didn't feel like going back to the base just yet. "Nah, thanks though. I've been cooped up on that base all week while the Doc poked and prodded me. I think I'll stay out a little later. It's only ten after all."

Nodding knowingly, Daniel knew just what Harm was getting at. Of course when the Doctor had been Janet Frasier, there was no burden being 'cooped up' in the infirmary. "Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow, Harm."

Standing up, Teal'c once more inclined his head towards Harm. "Good night Harmon Rabb."

"Night guys," Harm waved as the two men made their way through the bar towards the exit.

"Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked as she came over to Harm's table to take away the mess left behind by the others.

"Just a coke please, I think I've had more than enough," Harm answered with a smile.

"Do you work out at the Mountain with Jack and Sam?" she asked as she put the last of the plates and glasses on her tray.

Nodding, Harm swallowed the dregs of his last beer and handed the glass over. "Just started a month or so ago."

"They're nice folks," the waitress said as she turned away to go get Harm's coke.

While Harm thought about what he and Jack had talked about, he had to admit Jack was right. There wasn't much he could have done for Patterson. Intellectually he knew that, but it still didn't make it any easier to lose someone. He'd said goodbye two days earlier when they'd had a memorial service for the young marine, and now he'd just have to work on putting it behind him if he was going to move forward.

Lost in his thoughts, Harm failed to notice a slender brunette standing next to his table. "Excuse me?" she said in an attempt to get his attention.

Looking up he started to smile only to stop in mid smile. At first he thought it was Mac, and for a split second his heart stopped. She had the same brown hair, and the same slender build with the curves in all the right places. It was only when he looked into her eyes and saw that they were a brilliant green that he realized this wasn't Mac standing for some unknown reason in a bar in Colorado Springs. Now that he knew it wasn't her, he could see other differences, but it was still uncanny; they could be cousins he thought to himself. Shaking his head slightly Harm allowed his smile to grow and raised a single eyebrow. "Yes?"

"My friends and I," the girl began, gesturing to a woman and a man standing by a pool table. "We were looking for someone to join us in a game of pool; our other friend wasn't able to make it tonight. Would you be willing to join us?"

Deciding that a good game of pool was just what the doctor ordered Harm nodded with a smile and stood up. "I would love to, thanks. The name's Harm."

"Allison," the woman said with an answering smile.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Well, here it is. Chapter 11. I apologize for leaving off so suddenly for a month, but to be bluntly honest real life sucks when it gets in the way of the lives other people live out in my head. First visits with family out of town suddenly, then Christmas (have I mentioned that as much as I like Christmas, I hate the holiday season hustle?), and then work. The good news is that things are back "normal" now, and you can look forward to not one, but two posts tomorrow.

**Chapter 11**

The quiet beeping of the alarm on Harm's cell phone penetrated his sleeping mind. Even though he wasn't on active duty he had some things to attend to and was supposed to report at 0800. Without opening his eyes he reached out to where his phone sat on the night table and silenced the alarm. Why hadn't his alarm clock gone off, he wondered sleepily. His phone was set to 0730, so he'd still have time to grab a shower and a quick bite in the commissary before he had to report for duty. It wasn't until he heard a decidedly feminine happy little moan beside him that he opened his eyes and realized he wasn't back in his quarters at the Mountain.

Slowly turning his head to the right, he saw a hauntingly familiar profile bathed in the soft sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains. Closing his eyes again all the memories of the night before came rushing back. Somehow, some way, he'd allowed himself to do something with a stranger that he'd never been able to do with the woman he loved.

"Morning," he heard right beside his head and turned to look at the woman from the bar the night before. Sensuously, she sat up and stretched, letting the single sheet fall about her waist.

"Allison, good morning," Harm said, sitting up and trying his best to smile. He wasn't all that surprised to find that his body was unconsciously responding to the woman beside him. After all, it wasn't that he hadn't enjoyed the night before.

"You know what I'd like to do this morning?" Allison asked while she reached over to run a finger over Harm's chest.

Making an effort not to gulp Harm forced himself to keep the smile on his face even while his traitorous body continued to make his response known. "What would you like to do?"

With what Harm could have sworn was a purr, Allison leaned close enough to place her lips on his. After a few moments she pulled back slightly and whispered "Breakfast in bed, just you and me."

"I…ahh…it's actually pretty late, I'm not sure there's time to make something for breakfast," Harm's eyes began to dart around the room, taking in the soft pastel colours and fabrics used to tastefully decorate the room.

"Who said anything about food?" Allison asked, her lips descending on his again.

After only a moment Harm forced himself to break the contact, placing his right hand gently on the side of Allison's face. "Allison, please understand, as much as I'm enjoying this, it is late and I really need to get back to the base if I'm going to report on time. I probably should have left," Harm checked his watch out of the corner of his eye. "Crap! Twenty minutes ago. I'm sorry."

Giving a last little stroke of his thumb across her cheek, he stood up and began to search for his various articles of clothing. Finding his shirt and pants in a small pile across the room, he began to pull the items on while looking for his shoes. Finally, he saw one peeking out from under the bed, only to find that the mate was not anywhere near it.

"Ahhhh," the woman on the bed pouted as she crossed her arms under her breasts. "Well, seeing as I drove last night, I guess I'll have to take you back to your base."

"I can…ah call a cab, it's alright," Harm protested.

"Have you ever tried to call a cab in this town first thing in the morning? You'd be lucky if it got here by eight fifteen," Allison laughed as she sat up and stretched, unmindful of the sheet that had fallen revealing her naked form. Luxuriously she slid off the bed and began to pull on a set of sweats she had grabbed from a chair in the corner. "I guess I'll be able to get a run in this morning after all. Too bad, I had other activities in mind."

Blushing furiously, Harm intensified the search for his remaining shoe to no avail. Sweeping the room one last time, he finally spotted the missing rascal. Apparently the shoe had escaped the confines of the bedroom and was resting just outside the door in the hallway.

"Ready to go?" Allison asked, pulling her hair into a little pony tail, she slipped on a red ball cap.

"Uhh…yeah," Harm said, sliding on his shoe and straightening up with a sheepish smile.

Only ten minutes later Harm was getting out of Allison's GMC Envoy at the check point located outside the road leading into the mountain. Before he could close the door he felt a light touch on his hand and looked in to see Allison leaning across the seat. "Look, I'm not sure what's going on here, but I had fun last night," Allison began with a smile. She held out a business card until Harm took it. "I'd like to hear from you."

Looking down at the card which read, 'Allison Donovan, Attorney at Law', Harm had to consciously stop himself from shaking his head. What was with him and lawyers? Looking the woman in the eyes Harm spoke gently and sincerely. "Allison, I don't want to lead you on. Honestly, I had fun last night as well, but I have to tell you I don't think I'm ready for…anything…yet."

Fighting to keep the disappointment from her eyes Allison gamely kept the smile in place. "Well you have my number. And if you find yourself ready for something, I would like to hear from you."

"Good bye, Allison," Harm said gently, as he closed the door to the SUV and watched her drive off. With a sigh he turned towards the guard shack and presented his ID to the sentry who stepped out to meet him.

By the time Harm had reached the commissary after changing in his quarters he was thoroughly confused. What the hell had he done? How could he let go with a perfect stranger who simply looked right, but for years had been unable to do so with the right woman. Dropping his tray on the table, Harm plopped into the hard plastic seat and looked over his chosen meal with distaste. Fruit loops and a plate of fruit slices was all he'd felt like eating, and now he wasn't sure he could stomach even that. He was so absorbed in his food that he failed to see Sam wander into the room and sit down at his table.

"You were late this morning," Sam said with a smile when she finally got tired of waiting for Harm to notice her.

"Hmm? Oh hey Sam," Harm nodded.

"Those look like some pretty heavy thoughts. But getting back to my previous statement begs the question why were you late?"

"I ah, slept off base."

"I know."

"You know?"

"I know," Sam said smugly.

"How do you know?"

"I picked the lock to your room when Jacobs and Black said they hadn't seen you yet today. Your bed hadn't been slept in."

"I'm touched by your concern," Harm responded with mild sarcasm.

"Oh, it wasn't concern. Curiosity might be a better description, but not concern. You're a big boy after all." It only took a moment for the blush to start when Sam realized what she'd said.

"Don't take this the wrong way Sam, but I'm not in the mood right now," Harm tossed the spoon into the bowl of fruit loops and pushed his tray away.

"To business then," Sam picked a wedge of grapefruit from Harm's tray. "Given any thought to a replacement for Patterson yet?"

"Not really," Harm admitted. He'd been putting the task off, but knew he couldn't keep it at bay. "I suppose I should go over those files the General set aside for me."

"Trust me," Sam said popping the fruit into her mouth. "I know what it's like. Too bad you're leading your own team, you'd make a good fourth for SG-1."

"I'm honoured," Harm managed a slight smile. "But that doesn't help me find a fourth for 13."

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am," Walter said coming to attention beside their table.

"Yes Walter?" Sam smiled at the tech sergeant she'd worked with for so many years.

"General O'Neill would like to see both of you in his office right away."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I know I promised two chapters, but I decided to give you a treat first; more Mac. Now I need to go make adjustments to the next chapter to reflect Mac's early return.

**Chapter 12**

Mac paused to collect her thoughts before stepping into Jen's office. "Is he available Coates?"

"One moment, ma'am. I'll check," Petty Officer Coates said with a half smile, reaching for the phone. "Admiral, Colonel MacKenzie would like to see you about something. Yes, sir."

At Jen's nod Mac stepped up to the door and knocked. After the Admiral called for her to enter, Mac opened the door and tucked the manila folder she'd brought with her under her arm. Before she could come to attention Admiral Chegwidden waved his hand, took off his glasses, and leaned back in his chair. "What can I do for you Colonel?"

"Sir, I was wondering if I could take some time off? I've got over ninety days on the books."

"Taking a holiday?" AJ asked warily. He was more than aware of Mac's pet project for the last couple months.

"Sort of," Mac was suddenly evasive, shifting slightly in the chair.

"Sort of," AJ repeated, steepling his fingers and looking at Mac over his fingertips. "Mac, you know what you do with your holiday time is your own, within reason…"

"Yes, sir," Mac said unable to meet AJ's gaze.

With a sigh AJ stood up and moved around the desk to sit in the chair next to the one Mac was occupying. "Have you had any luck Mac?"

"Sir?"

"Finding Rabb. I know you've been looking."

"Not really, sir, and that's what's bothering me. He's in the Navy still, I know that. I just can't find him," Mac didn't have it in her to be evasive.

"What's in the folder Mac?" AJ asked, nodding at the manila folder Mac seemed to have forgotten she had.

Opening the folder Mac looked at the single sheet of paper that made up the contents. "When I talked to those airmen that were outside Harm's apartment they mentioned a General. He said the name was O'Neil, but I haven't been able to find any General O'Neil in the Air Force. Admiral, I've even looked for an O'Neil in the Army and the Marines and haven't found anything."

"And the folder?"

"A list of the O'Neils I have found. The closest to flag rank that I've found is a Colonel O'Neil in the Air Force. Some sort of Public Affairs officer; and I can't see Harm working for a man like that. There's three O'Neils in the Marines and five in the Army; none of them of higher than 0-4 rank," Mac said handing the folder over to the Admiral. "I don't know where else to look sir."

AJ almost did a double take as he took the folder from Mac, shocked by how forlorn she sounded. "O'Neil hmmm? Let me take a look at this."

As the Admiral looked over the list Mac let her eyes wander over the Admiral's office. She _knew_ that nothing had changed, but it felt different; the whole office felt different without Harm.

"Hmmm. You only included O'Neil spelled with one 'l'. Eil and Eal."

"Excuse me?"

"One 'l'. You don't have any O'Neils spelled with two 'l's," AJ rubbed the bridge of his nose and got a far off look in his eyes. "There was an O'Neill I worked with when I was with the Teams. Air Force special ops. Good man."

"Two 'l's," Mac repeated thoughtfully. What were the chances that the Admiral actually knew the man Harm was working for. It was then that the germ of an idea began to speak to Mac; had the Admiral been in on Harm's new 'job'?

"Ran into him; must have been eight or nine years ago. Said he was retiring; poor bastard lost his son and it tore him up."

"Could it be him, sir?" Mac asked, suddenly looking at the Admiral closely.

Shrugging, AJ closed the folder and handed it back to Mac. "Could be. There was some scuttlebutt about Jack getting reactivated; but you know what spec ops teams are like, Mac. I've heard less about him since I heard that than I did when he was retired."

"Jack, sir? That was the name that," Mac paused trying to remember the named of the guy who'd been at Harm's apartment. "Jackson, Daniel Jackson said. Jack O'Neill. With two 'l's apparently."

Standing up AJ rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It may be him, it may not be. Why don't you let me put out some feelers, see what I can find out."

"Yes, sir," Mac responded automatically.

"Still want that time off Mac?"

"I do still have to wrap up the Henderson investigation," Mac said thoughtfully. It would be more useful if she actually had something to follow up on when she took her time off.

"I'll let you know when I hear something," AJ sat behind his desk and slid his glasses back on. "And Mac?"

"Yes, sir?" Mac asked as she stood at attention.

"Next time, don't be afraid to ask for help."


End file.
